The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 16

www.pantagraph.com B2 The Pantagraph Sunday, November 27, 2011 1 t. fit Tentative deal moves ckout closeF to enc Questions, answers about labor deal 4. The PantagraphCARIOS T. MIRANDA Normal's Chase Robbins goes up for a shot in front of West's Alex Jefferson during the Intercity Boys Tournament at Shirk Center in Bloomington on Saturday. By Brian Mahoney ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK Now that there's a handshake deal on a new labor agreement, NBA Commissioner David Stern and union executives must persuade owners and players to approve it, guaranteeing a Christmas Day tripleheader.

After a 149 -day lockout, owners there's the not-so-small matter of having owners and players actually vote on the deal. Though the deal's expected to be approved, it won't be unanimous as there are factions of hard-liners in both camps who will be unhappy with substantive portions of the deal. How could union chief Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher "negotiate" with the NBA if the players' union had been disbanded? When players dissolved the union that meant Hunter and Fisher no longer had the power to negotiate and agree to terms for the players. What could happen and what did happen with the NBA, as it did with the NFL this summer, is that lawyers and representatives for both sides can hold discussions under the guise of antitrust settlement talks. Hunter is an attorney.

He knew the rules and the risks. Certainly, this could have By Tim Reynolds ASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI the NBA lockout is not over. Not yet, but soon once owners and players approve the deal that would have NBA games resume on Christmas Day. Here's a look at some of the most prevalent questions about the state of things in the league right now. What happened to get this deal done? As one person involved in the talks told The Associated Press, "sanity prevailed." Neither side was winning.

Owners were losing money. Players were losing money. Fans were getting angry. Because Christmas is traditionally the day when the public really start watching NBA games, there was a late push to try and salvage the Dec. 25 schedule.

So it's done? Well, no. There's still a slew of issues to work through, and then side of a conference table as Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the league's labor relations committee. But at least they weren't sitting in a courtroom, where they appeared headed less than two weeks earlier. Just 12 days after talks broke down and Stern declared the NBA could be headed to a "nuclear winter," he sat next to Hunter to announce the 10-year deal, with either side able to opt out after the sixth year. Owners relented slightly on their previous insistence that players receive no more than 50 percent of basket- blown up for the players and risked their antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota.

What happens to that lawsuit? Barring something crazy, the players will ask that it be dismissed. The league also must dismiss its New York lawsuit about the legality of the lockout. When will training camp start? Dec. 9. Free agency is expected to begin then, too, meaning some locker rooms may as well start getting revolving doors installed now.

And the first games? The league wants three games on Christmas Day, and it's a safe bet the previously scheduled matchups Boston at New York, Miami at Dallas in a finals rematch, and Chicago at the Los Angeles Lakers -will go on as planned. The Dec. 26 schedule and beyond? Get out your erasers. A lot will be changing. saying they had a deal news that apparently caught many off guard.

Silver's e-mail, the person said, did not contain any specifics about the terms of the tentative agreement. Those details were expected to be provided on a late -afternoon conference call of the labor relations committee Saturday. The agenda was expected to include when franchises may begin contacting their players again and when team facilities could re-open in advance of training camps. Stern said he expects the labor committee to endorse the deal and recommend it to the full board. it comes to Cupples said.

"But I'm happy for our kids because they've worked so hard." Central-BHS The Saints trailed 17-8 iii the second quarter, but scored the final 13 points to lead 21-17 at the half. Central built a 35-27 lead after three periods, but BHS rallied to within 42-40 in the final minute on Brady Rose's conventional three-point play. Two free throws by Matt Rave and a steal and layup by Jake Reinhart helped the Saints prevail. "We have a whole bunch of young kids in there. To get a win is just huge," Central coach Jason Welch said.

"We were playing way too fast (early). Once we slowed down, we got in' a little more of a flow. That translated into soifle points." Hester, a 6-5 center, scored the Saints' first five points of the fourth quarter. He also grabbed five rebounds. When we found him, he gave us a lot tonight," Welch said.

Sophomore Will Rahu-ba added eight points and five rebounds for Central, while sophomore Jake Ro-mani had 20 points and nine rebounds for BHS. Rose, also a sophomore, scored 11. "We're getting better. We're learning how to fight," BHS coach Micheal Mosley said. "We're real close, and that's what I told them.

We're going to keep fighting and we're going'to get one." 1 1.M"--. reached the tentative deal early Saturday. It comes at a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars David Stern for both sides, on top of the fans and jobs that were lost during the stalemate. And it leaves the NBA with its second shortened season, with the hope of getting in 66 games instead of a full 82-game schedule. The lockout isn't quite over, but it appears the NBA's nuclear winter will be avoided.

After a marathon 15-hour negotiating session Friday into Saturday, Stern accepted some congratulations, headed for another short night of sleep, then planned to brief his owners on a deal that could change the way they do business. Players, looking beat and beaten, face a tougher healing process in approving an agreement that significantly limits their earnings. First, players must drop a lawsuit against the league, reform their disbanded union and approve the handshake deal that was reached shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday. Players' association executives Derek Fisher and Maurice Evans hardly looked enthused about the agreement as they sat next to executive director Billy Hunter on the same rv JM mmm I WW h4f Mr WEST FROM Bl the first half, but 3 -pointers by Adam McGinnis and Bronke gave the Wildcats a 25-24 halftime lead.

West (2-0 in the Big 12 Conference) outscored the Ironmen 12-2 in the third quarter for a 37-26 lead. Keith, a 6 -foot junior, hit a 3 late in the third period and another early in the fourth quarter. "Our defense was good, but we hit shots, too," West coach Brian Cupples said. "Scott Keith hit a couple of big 3s and that kind of loos -ened us up. "It kind of made them rush a little bit.

They didn't shoot well and we were able to take advantage." NCHS was 13 of 39 from the field (33 percent). Chase Robbins led the Ironmen with 19 points, but fellow senior guard Anthony Beane, an Illinois State recruit, had two points on 1 of 6 shooting. "You have to give credit to Normal West. They had a great week of basketball," NCHS coach Dave Witzig said. "They're all in.

They're cheering for each other, they're sharing the ball, they're taking good shots and they're playing great defense. They got the shots they wanted and they made it tough for us to score." Senior center Tyler Durham grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for West, which shot 38 percent from the field. "Like everybody here, we have a long way to go," Tuffy Auto Service Centers Tuffy Auto Service Centers 1505 E. Vernon Avenue Bloomington (309) 662-0537 ball-related income after they were guaranteed 57 percent in the old collective bargaining agreement. The target is still a 50-50 split, but with a band from 49 percent to 51 percent that gives the players a better chance of reaching the highest limit than previously proposed.

Owners were warned on a conference call Friday night that a deal did not seem imminent, a person briefed on the details told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. Then, shortly past 3 a.m., many league officials received an e-mail from Silver When vr If most consumers turn to the newspaper for their coupons. a iwf 10 OFF ro wi I i Any service performed over $250 See store for details. "Additional tees may apply. In lieu ot other offers.

Most cars and light trucks. Expires 07-31-11 Hti fi4 li FOR VERY WELL QUALIFIED LESSEES a i ii FOR VERY WELL QUALIFIED LESSEES I SECURITY DEPOSIT FIRST MONTH'S PAYMENT DOWN PAYMENT DUE AT SIGNING The PantagraphCARLOS T. MIRANDA Bloomington Blaze's Craig Cescon pulls away from Allen Americans' Keith Johnson on Saturday. MB LOW-MILEAGE LEASE EXAMPLE $198 PER MONTH 39 MONTHS $1 98 DUE AT SIGNING PLUS 5350 DUE AT LEASE TERMINATION NO SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIRED. TAX, TITLE, LICENSE AND DEALER FEES EXTRA.

MILEAGE CHARGE OF OVER 39.000 MILES. '12 Chevy Cruze LS WITH MANIIAI TRANSMISSION 2006 Buick I 2011 Chevy I 2008 Chevy I 2010 Chevy Lucerne CXL Impale 1LT Avalanche LTZ Equinox 2LT rzwrc gfS! KBB KBB ST.tr WGaKndltetdf Biii SiKr tee. KBB SS6.585- Sale Price Sale Prlcg Sale P'io Sain Price S23.SS9! 2007 Chevy 2009 Chevy hhrilt 2004 Dodge Lll Dakota SCTjfe ii3putHeo.KB6i;.i35' pim Sale Price 59,174) Sale Price S1 2007 Chevy iVXV ft 2006 Dodge Tahoe3LT 1 Grand Caravan SXT I JQJ f6l6i Black. Sale Price I Sale Price Sole Price 1999 Ford 2003 Ford I 2003 Jeep 2007 Dodge F150XLT F250 Superduty Liberty Sport DurangoLTO. v.

t- jiiimi ilto66i95, BwSlid Kffi SU. Hk6soS.W fi H8B S5' Saio Price S5.324! I Sale Priie M.599! I Sal. Price 57. 049' I Sale Price LOW-MILEAGE LEASE EXAMPLE 39 $199 PER MONTH MONTHS2 38 Monthly Payments TAX, TITLE, LICENSE AND DEALER FEES EXTRA. MILEAGE CHARGE OF 20MILE OVER 39 000 MILES.

'11 Chevy Silverado All-Star Edition II for 72 Months APR Financing tot Oualited Buyers' iJJ I BLAZE FROM Bl game. That was a team win. It's definitely what we needed." The Blaze (2-10-2) hadn't won since the season opener on Oct. 22 and had not picked up a point in the standings since an overtime loss Nov. 11.

"I don't even think of us as a 2-10-2 team," Booras said. "We're not that kind of team. Allen's one of the top teams in the league, and I think this will give us some confidence." The Blaze fell behind 3-1 with 5:45 left in the game when Allen's Nick Layton seemingly put Bloomington away with a goal from the deep right wing. But Mike Zbriger responded 17 seconds later with an unassisted goal off a turnover to make it 3-2. Then, overworked de-fenseman Mark Znutas tied by throwing a puck into traffic that slipped past goalie Joel Reid with 2:48 to play.

"That was a great game," Znutas said. "It was good to battle back because it would have been easy for our team to pack our tents and go home. But we showed some resolve." Allen (9-3-3) took a boarding penalty with 2:18 to play, and Booras overcame the league's top penalty-killing unit with a goal on Reid's stick side that also ended the Americans' nine-game point streak and three-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Kalemba allowed just one goal through the first two periods and finished with 32 saves for his first victory in four starts. "Great effort by Zane," Gardner said.

"He made the saves he was supposed to make. When he first came, he had a little trouble with rebounds, but he was a lot more in control tonight. "This was a good win. This may be one we talk about a few years down the road." Or choose aH-ster edition discount of $1 .495 Plus total cash ot for a total value" of $6,500 Websites: www.lynnchevroIetbuick.com www.iynnchevrotetbuick.net E-mail: lynncvbumcbsi.com Exit 197, i-55 RM16, Pontiac. IL Toli Free 1-866-374-3344 815-842-3344 r- i.

CHEW BUICK 'No dan el 1 BSebookO. liases "ai -m nets CHEVROLET-BUICK. INC. mmmmmmJ PONTIAC. (L Lmmh "Where Service Makes Friends" kvtkto urmm twrwis ns; (.

wnxtei tvrvmts Amru motAtawnrwj w.insr(smxmmrmmmmrmi i.